Distinguish between (Conv. and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"distinguish between" |"distinguished between" |"distinguishes between" |"distinguishing between"

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

You have to distinguish between superior and inferior.

Morning Walk -- May 2, 1973, Los Angeles:

Karandhara: They say there is no difference between that life and that matter.

Prabhupāda: No, how can you say rascal? Then you are rascal immediately. There is so much difference. Then immediately you talk like rascal. There is difference. You have to accept superior, inferior. Just like two things. When you go to purchase something the shopkeeper gives you, "Here is superior." Although there is no difference, but there is difference of superiority and inferiority. That you have to accept. Therefore you pay more price to the superior. How there is no difference? This is another rascaldom. You have to distinguish between superior and inferior.

Karandhara: Well, they say it is all made up of the same elements.

Prabhupāda: That is all right, but do why you pay more? That is difference. Question is difference. You have to accept difference. Why do you pay more for the superior thing? That is difference. Why do you pay more respect to a superior person? That is difference. Mr. Nixon is also a human being, you are also human being. But if Mr. Nixon immediately comes, we shall all pay him respect. Why? That is difference.

Karandhara: That's all on the same plane.

Prabhupāda: That's all not. That not all. He is the superior, He is getting respect. Therefore he is not equal to you. You cannot say that. You may say... A rascal may say that "A superior person is as good as I am." But people will not accept it. People will say, "No, you are a rascal. He is an intelligent." Although you have got two hands, he has got two hands, that doesn't matter. So you must distinguish between superior and inferior. We say it is one, but superior and inferior.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: But in other words, the matter cannot grow without a living force.

Prabhupāda: No, that is another branch of, I mean to say, accepting matter as life. We have to distinguish them, that life is superior than matter. That we have to accept. You cannot say both of them are all the same. No. We have to distinguish them as superior, inferior.

The common sense is that can you distinguish between matter and spirit? Can you distinguish?

Room Conversation With David Lawrence -- July 12, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: You have to come to the platform of general, common sense.

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: If you become biased, then it will be impossible.

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you cannot make progress. You have to come to the platform... Now, the common sense is that can you distinguish between matter and spirit? Can you distinguish?

David Lawrence: In what, in what respect?

Prabhupāda: That I was speaking, that the distinction between matter and spirit: the spirit is the vital force...

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: ...or you call spirit soul or ātmā. That you can distinguish. As soon as the vital force is off from this body, this body is a lump of matter. Therefore even if you do not know the spirit soul, any sane man can guess that something is missing in this body. Therefore this body is called dead. Now, that something is described definitely, is soul. So we can distinguish between the spirit and soul, some way or other. So as there is material world, there must be some spiritual world. Otherwise how the spirit is there? The spirit is there, the soul is there. That is spiritual. So two things we are experiencing: spirit and matter. So as we are experiencing this material world, so similarly there must be a spiritual world. There must be a spiritual world. Otherwise wherefrom the spirit comes?

David Lawrence: Yes, yes.

As I asked you what is spiritual life, he cannot describe. What is the distinction between spiritual life and material life? What is the goal? He cannot define spiritual life.

Room Conversation with Rosicrucians -- August 13, 1973, Paris:

Yogeśvara: No, he said, all of their students, they know the value of realizing God in their heart.

Prabhupāda: How do they know? How do they know?

Yogeśvara: There are already people who are aspiring after a richer, more spiritual life.

Prabhupāda: What is that spiritual life? (break)

Yogeśvara: ...high spiritual values, the things...

Prabhupāda: These are simply words. What is the spiritual life. I want to know. (break) ...is useless.

Yogeśvara: He says when God. He is just using a lot of names.

Prabhupāda: He is simply speaking. He does not know what is the aim, what is the goal, what is spiritual life... (break) ...no tangible knowledge of everything, what I ask. As I asked you what is spiritual life, he cannot describe. (break) ...distinguish between spiritual life and material life?

Yogeśvara: (break)... as we can have spiritual realization and still live in the material world.

Prabhupāda: But what is the spiritual life? What is the distinction between spiritual life and material life? What is the goal? He cannot define Spiritual life.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Why do you distinguish between guru's ātmā and guru's body?

Morning Walk -- February 23, 1974, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: I don't understand and you also don't understand me. I mean to say that disciples have got to take guru as God, and not this body as God. His ātmā is guru, and ātmā is God. So guru in that way is God.

Prabhupāda: No, that is not...

Dr. Patel: That is what I think.

Prabhupāda: No!

Dr. Patel: And I don't think I am wrong.

Prabhupāda: No, why God...? Why do you make...? Why do you distinguish between guru's ātmā and guru's body?

Dr. Patel: But the body... But the body's not guru!

Prabhupāda: That is Māyāvāda. That is Māyāvāda.

Dr. Patel: Even if you say guru is body,...

Prabhupāda: They make also Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's inside different.

Dr. Patel: Kṛṣṇa's body is different from your body and my body. Kṛṣṇa body is spiritual.

Prabhupāda: Then why do you make a... Once you say that guru is equal to Kṛṣṇa, and again Kṛṣṇa's body and Kṛṣṇa is not different, but guru's body and guru's soul is different.

Dr. Patel: That's right.

Prabhupāda: No. That's not right.

Dr. Patel: Ātmā is, ātmā is guru...

Prabhupāda: That's not right. Please note it. If you compare the guru is God, then you should compare similarity.

This is the beginning of spiritual life, to distinguish between the soul and the body.

Room Conversation with Bhurijana dasa and Disciples -- July 1, 1974, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: This is the beginning of spiritual life, to distinguish between the soul and the body. One who does not understand that there is soul, there is no spiritual education because he is animal. The animal does not know that there is soul. A dog thinks, "I am this body." So this is the beginning of spiritual education. Therefore Kṛṣṇa instructs first this thing. Everyone is acting on the conception of body as self.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

We are caused, but He is cause of all causes. That is God. Otherwise, how you'll distinguish between you and God? You are caused, but He is not caused.

Morning Walk -- April 3, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Everything comes from God, but He's self-sufficient. That is God. That is the searching out God, that you search... You... Wherefrom you came? From your father. Then your father comes from his father, from his father. Go on, go on. When you reach one person—he does not come from any father; he is self-sufficient—then He's God. That is the definition of... If God also comes like you, from a father, then how He is God? He's like you. That is the difference.

Satsvarūpa: But they say that's not logically proved.

Prabhupāda: That is logical... Means you have no brain to understand. That's all. That is the distinction between God and ourself. We are caused, but He is cause of all causes. That is God. Otherwise, how you'll distinguish between you and God? You are caused, but He is not caused. He's causeless. If He becomes caused, then He becomes like you. Then how He becomes God? That is the distinction between God and ourself.

If one cannot distinguish between the car and the driver of the car, then he remains just like a child.

Room Conversation with Professor Olivier -- October 10, 1975, Durban:

Prabhupāda: But if one cannot distinguish between the car and the driver of the car, then he remains just like a child. A child may think that the car is running automatically, but that is foolishness. There is a driver. The child may not know, but when the child is grown-up, educated, still he does not know, then what is the meaning of his education?

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

If they cannot distinguish between right and wrong, then what is the result of this education? Education means one must be able to distinguish between the right and wrong.

Garden Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Modern education, they cannot understand that this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease is a botheration. They do not understand that. Why they accept it? Accept it, they think there is no other way. But if there is a way to stop this, why do they not take it? Hm? What is the value of this education? They cannot distinguish between right and wrong. Nobody likes death, but death is there. Nobody likes to become old, but the old age is there. Why they set aside these big problems and he's proud of scientific advancement of knowledge? What kind of education this is? If they cannot distinguish between right and wrong, then what is the result of this education? Education means one must be able to distinguish between the right and wrong. But they cannot, or even they do know that death is not good, but why they are not trying how to stop death? Where is the advancement? They are very much proud of advancement of science. Where is the advancement? You cannot stop death. You cannot stop old age. You can manufacture advanced medicine, but why don't you stop disease? Take this pill, there will be no more disease. Where is that science?

How do you distinguish between a dead man or living man?

Room Conversation -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: How do you distinguish between a dead man or living man?

Richard: Um, well...

Prabhupāda: The living man is important, but the dead man is not important.

Richard: Not his physical body, no.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then within the physical body, there is something which is making him living man. Is it not?

There is no difficulty to distinguish between rascals and intelligent, guru and bluffer. Everything is there.

Garden Conversation -- June 27, 1976, New Vrindaban:

Prabhupāda: Do not mix with all rascals, asat. Now how shall I know who is rascal and who is not a (rascal)? Asat eka 'strī-saṅgī—-eka asādhu, kṛṣṇa-bhakta āra. One who is too much attached with woman, he is rascal. Another rascal, who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. So we have got everything test tube. Put the test tube and you understand. If one is strī-saṅgī... Strī-saṅgī means not only the man, the man or woman, one who are very much sexually attached, he is a rascal. One should give up his company. And another rascal who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That's all, finished. So if you want to be a Vaiṣṇava, you must give up the company of these two rascals. Then your progress is guaranteed. Everything is there. There is no difficulty to distinguish between rascals and intelligent, guru and bluffer. Everything is there. And to become a perfect Vaiṣṇava, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said asat-saṅga tyāga ei vaiṣṇava. Don't talk even with these rascals.

Īśvara, more or less everyone, but īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, that is Godhead. The Māyāvādīs, they do not distinguish between one īśvara to another īśvara. That may be on the ordinary level, but there is parama īśvara.

Room Conversation with Professor Francois Chenique -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: There is a little difference between God and Godhead.

Yogeśvara: So when we will have to try to find...

Prabhupāda: Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. Īśvara, more or less everyone, but īśvaraḥ paramaḥ, that is Godhead. The Māyāvādīs, they do not distinguish between one īśvara to another īśvara. That may be on the ordinary level, but there is parama īśvara.

Yogeśvara: One possibility would be to say God the Supreme Person is light. That we can translate.

Prabhupāda: God means Supreme Person. But these advaitavādī, Māyāvādīs, they have made God everyone. God means Supreme Person, that is the dictionary word. "Supreme Being." That is the dictionary meaning. God does not mean ordinary, but they have made ordinary, anyone God. "I am God, you are God, he is God." Then what is meaning of God?

Yogeśvara: Therefore we say Godhead.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Head man. There are many men, he is the head man. Godhead word is also there in the dictionary. You find out.

Yogeśvara: "Godhead-being God or a God divine nature, Deity, the Godhead, God." The word is there, but the definition they've given is not very...

Prabhupāda: They do not know. They do not know what is God, what is Godhead. They think all these are fictitious. Throughout the whole world they do not know what is God. Simply they know the word, that's all. What it means they do not know. That we are giving. Here is God. Godhead.

Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, to distinguish between matter and spirit it is negatively described: nainaṁ chindanti śāstrāṇi.

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran:

Ali: Shouldn't there be a balance between physical existence and spiritual existence? Like between body and spirit?

Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all, you must have spiritual understanding, then spiritual study. If you have no spiritual understanding, then why spiritual study? All these scientists, they are trying to understand the spirit soul by material, on material platform. Therefore they are being misled. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, to distinguish between matter and spirit it is negatively described: nainaṁ chindanti śāstrāṇi. Find out. The spirit soul is there which cannot be cut into pieces by any instrument.

This is the formula. Just like aiśvaryasya. Now, you have got some money, but you cannot say that "I have got all the money of the world." That you cannot say.

Room Conversation with Dr. Theodore Kneupper -- November 6, 1976, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: And now in India another danger is that so many rascals, they are declaring, "I am God." And this India, people have become so fallen down, they accept all these rascals as God.

Dr. Kneupper: Do you think the same problem is here in India as in other countries?

Prabhupāda: No, in your country there is no God. That is another problem. There is no God. And here rascals are God. The problem remains the same. You say frankly, "There is no God," but these rascals say, "There is God, but here is my God." And he says, "No, here is my God." No one knows the real God.

Dr. Kneupper: How does one distinguish between what is a false God...

Prabhupāda: This is the formula. Just like aiśvaryasya. Now, you have got some money, but you cannot say that "I have got all the money of the world." That you cannot say. You may possess some states, but you cannot say that "I am the owner of all the states." So God is the proprietor.

1969 Correspondence

How do you distinguish between religion and faith? How do you distinguish between changeable and eternal religion?

Letter to Bhakti Sastri Examination -- Los Angeles 4 September, 1969:

Answer any ten of the following questions with reference to the context of scriptures like Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Brahma Samhita and Isopanisad. The full mark for each question is 100.

1. Who is Krsna?

2. What is your relationship with Krsna?

3. What are you expected to do with your relationship to Krsna?

4. What is the aim of Krsna Consciousness?

5. What do you mean by religion?

6. Is Krsna Consciousness a type of religion or religious faith?

7. How do you distinguish between religion and faith?

8. Can religion or faith be changed from one type to another?

9. How do you distinguish between changeable and eternal religion?

10. What are the different types of religious faiths?

11. Can religion be manufactured by philosophical speculation?

Who created religion first?

12. What is the greatest common engagement of religious men?

13. Do you believe that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

14. If you believe, how do you substantiate? If not, what is your reason?

15. What is Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan?

1974 Correspondence

Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution?

Letter to Rupanuga -- Mayapur 19 October, 1974:

Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected. If things deteriorate that is another thing, but it is not the fault of book distribution.

1975 Correspondence

You have to distinguish between devotees and non-devotees.

Letter to Jagaddhatri, Pasupati, Sailogata, Pamela -- Dallas 30 July, 1975:

Regarding the problem of how to be aggressive on Sankirtana and submissive in the temple, my request to you is that you should go on being aggressive on Sankirtana. I myself was aggressive in coming to your country. No one invited me. Even you boys and girls did not invite me. But, I came and I preached aggressively, and therefore you are now my disciples. So now you well know you have to approach the men and women of your country, and it may appear that superficially that you have to disturb them. They are doing their business peacefully, and you come and disturb them, "Please take this Krishna book."

Of course it is good that you are concerned about being chaste, shy, and submissive amongst your godbrothers. Canakya Pandit said that every man should see all other women as mother, and similarly a woman should see all men as son. So what is your difficulty? If you are completely aggressive on Sankirtana, there should be no material aggressiveness and pride remaining. You have to distinguish between devotees and non-devotees.